Game alt-tabbing or flashing desktop [merged]

Within just the past several days my game has randomly been alt-tabbing to the desktop once in a while. Typically it only happens once per login. Has anyone else been experiencing this lately as well? I've completely formatted my computer and everything but no change. It's kind of annoying but luckily it doesn't happen much.

Comments

When I launch the game (before character selection), the "black" screen blinks with my desktop and whatever would be opened on it. Likewise, when I switch map, I also get blinks of the desktop. I run Win 10 on my 2 PCs, and both of them do it. I'm not sure it's GC related, since they don't have the same one. So I'm a bit perplex.

On a (maybe) related topic : I can't use Alt+Tab in game : the screen goes black, blinks some time with the desktop, then goes back to GW2. Just as if the computer was looking for something to switch to, and goes back to GW2. I have to go windowed mode to be able to do something else while GW2 is running.

I don't think it's anything to worry about. It's certainly not an uncommon thing with games. Basically, it's initializing the video driver and reserving the screen before it renders the character selection screen. You'll also notice that after the first blink, while you see see your desktop and start menu, you can't use the start menu or task bar. Again, this is normal.

This issue is specifically what kills gsync for me until I alt tab back and forth after the map load. If I'm in Fullscreen, then gsync simply isnt working, as my monitor reports just 144fps even though the game is running something much lower. If I am in Windowed Fullscreen, the game runs in 15 fps presumably because gsync thinks the window focus has changed, so it's syncing with a background window or something until I alt tab back and forth again.

Well... I don't have Steam installed so.. The only things that are currently running at the same time as the game is Avast, Logitech Mouse and Nvidia Settings. And I've never had this problem till just this past week. So, idk what the deal is.

@Ardenwolfe.8590 said:
Ah. I have this happening to me too and, yes, I also have Steam on my system. Always wondered why it sometimes tabs out. Thank you. I also you Nvidia, so the issue might be there as well.

It's happened to me (only recently), and I don't have Steam, nor any kind of Windows updates (still on Win7 with all updates turned off), so it's not that. I do have Avast, a Logitech Mouse (old), but no NVidia.

Well... I don't have Steam installed so.. The only things that are currently running at the same time as the game is Avast, Logitech Mouse and Nvidia Settings. And I've never had this problem till just this past week. So, idk what the deal is.

There are programs that can (and do) put themselves into the front of even full-screen applications. This nonsense happened to me since Win10 (I skipped Win8). For example, when I am playing Dishonored and in League of Legends the matchmaking found a match, it pauses and minimizes Dishonored and puts LoL in front. Since Flash is hardware-accelerated, this tabbing out of fullscreen applications is becoming more and more of a problem when I keep a Flash player open, e.g. Youtube while playing full-screen applications.

In Win7, no matter how pressured a program was (yellow blinking icon in the taskbar), it stayed in the back of programs run in fullscreen. Now every little mini gadget can do that, and Windows loves to pass that request and force-minimize (the "Alt+Tab" bevaviour) on everything..

Which is why I play all my games in full screen borderless windows. Then notifications can pop while I play, and I kinda like the multi-tasking. They pop over my mini-map (in this game) which is occasionally distracting, but usually not a big deal. Plus I can Win-Tab around easier and what not. Navigate multiple instances of the same or different games easier.

In the event I don't get a chance, thank you all for the company and help when I needed it from time to time.

Oops. Yep, that link's a little dated. A little more research showed me that it still happens to a lot people. I still say it has something to do with Windows and/or NVidia, but I can't find proof of it. A lot of speculation, but nothing concrete.

It may not be related, since I am on the Mac version, but I also have the problem of the game being bumped to the background frequently. Sometimes it's by a message saying I need to update DiVX, sometimes it's trying to get me to log into iCloud (which I don't use), sometimes it's just a moment when all my controls stop working and the toolbar icons appear on the side. It's really aggravating when it happens during a battle or JP or something where losing control means death or failure.

I don't have NVidia (I have Intel Iris.) I do have Steam installed, but not running.

Tabbing out is caused when window focus is stolen by another program. There could be any number of programs that could cause this. My recommendation would be to get a focus logging tool to run in the background while you play, and if focus gets stolen you can look at the focus logger to see which program was being a jerk.

@Zedek.8932 said:
There are programs that can (and do) put themselves into the front of even full-screen applications. This nonsense happened to me since Win10 (I skipped Win8). For example, when I am playing Dishonored and in League of Legends the matchmaking found a match, it pauses and minimizes Dishonored and puts LoL in front. Since Flash is hardware-accelerated, this tabbing out of fullscreen applications is becoming more and more of a problem when I keep a Flash player open, e.g. Youtube while playing full-screen applications.

In Win7, no matter how pressured a program was (yellow blinking icon in the taskbar), it stayed in the back of programs run in fullscreen. Now every little mini gadget can do that, and Windows loves to pass that request and force-minimize (the "Alt+Tab" bevaviour) on everything..

Excelisior.

I had this happening for a while and that was back before I switched to win10 so win7 isn't much better in that regard.

Computers don't make decisions like that. You decided to leave automatic updates activated instead of updating at your own convenience.

As for your issue, sorry, I don't use Windows 10. Maybe you can share what processes are running in the background? Have you added the GW2 game folder to your antivirus' behavior shield's list of exceptions?

Computers don't make decisions like that. You decided to leave automatic updates activated instead of updating at your own convenience.

As for your issue, sorry, I don't use Windows 10. Maybe you can share what processes are running in the background? Have you added the GW2 game folder to your antivirus' behavior shield's list of exceptions?

Its windows 10 so you dont update at convience really, it’s update now or disable in services. Plus that doesn’t help my problem....

Ive checked and even disabled some processes, disabled antivius and firewall and it doesnt help. Reinstalled graphics driver etc.

It's a shame how many people are suffering sudden weird bugs with each Win 10 update. One can only wonder if Microsoft's developers will ever get their heads straight (or the CEO who made the decision to change Windows' business model -- computers are still different from smartphones in variety of usage).

Run in windowed or fake fullscreen mode. Fullscreen mode is crappy ever since. I had flickering issues on Windows 10 since RTM.
You can also try the compatibility flag to use or not use the optimized backbuffer formats, it was added with Fall Creators Update, but it's not really helpful for everyone, like me. Right-click shortcut > Compatibility > Disable fullscreen optimizations

This no longer works in newer versions of Windows 10. If you disable the service, Windows will turn it back on the next time it checks for updates. You MUST disable updates in the registry (or Group services).

Heather.4823 -

The desktop flashing issue has been happening for me for a long time. I don't worry about it because the game seems to work properly.

The desktop flashing issue has been happening for me for a long time. I don't worry about it because the game seems to work properly.

Yeah the 3 second flickering only when I click play has happened for like a year but that's no issue to me which I why I didn't mention it as it's not the same issue I am talking about here. That issue is just the screen flickering for about 3 seconds on load of the game only. Nothing to do with this.

The issue I am talking about here is since the April update that I see the desktop on all loading screens..

@Ray Koopa.2354 said:
Run in windowed or fake fullscreen mode. Fullscreen mode is crappy ever since. I had flickering issues on Windows 10 since RTM.
You can also try the compatibility flag to use or not use the optimized backbuffer formats, it was added with Fall Creators Update, but it's not really helpful for everyone, like me. Right-click shortcut > Compatibility > Disable fullscreen optimizations

...if it hasn't been properly optimized to work flawlessly on Windows 10 as well, yes. It still runs perfectly fine on previous Windows versions (not taking the general lack of optimization into account ).

I had this exact same problem too. But only recently. In fact I didn't always have this flickering issue I the past so I come to the conclusion that a recent gw2 update causes this to happen.
Ps: im on nvidia.

...if it hasn't been properly optimized to work flawlessly on Windows 10 as well, yes. It still runs perfectly fine on previous Windows versions (not taking the general lack of optimization into account ).

Found the problem, It's the new focus assist kitten they have put into the new winblows update. If you go to settings>system>focus assist and turn it all off, it does it much quicker now instead of sitting there for 10 seconds or so on the desktop.